Naruto Drabbles
by Eveilae
Summary: Drabbles of the Naruto fandom. Warnings in each. Updated relatively frequently.
1. Melting Dreams

_I do not own Naruto._

I decided I'm going to gather the mass amount of Naruto drabbles I've written, and will write, particularly for Naruto100. And by drabbles I mean DRABBLES. Few are more than 300 words. A lot of these are **crack** and/or **minor character** love. There's **incest**, gen, angst,**yaoi**, **yuri**, het,**threesomes**, character death,and AUs amongst these.

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**Title**: Melted Dreams  
**Challenge**: Dogs  
**Pairing**: HinaKibaShino  
**Words**: 131  
**Bonuses**: heat, bones, death, fur, fangs

It was all bones and mangled fur and bones poking through skin and fang marks. The smells made the vomit swell up in the back of her throat, but she wouldn't throw up over the bodies of her best friends.

Before she could drag herself away from the painful sight, she awoke with a start, a thin layer of sweat covering her face and causing her thin nightgown to stick to her skin. It had all been a dream, she realized as she felt the comforting warmth on both sides of her.

Kiba wrapped a thick arm over her waist in his sleep, as territorial as ever. Instead of pushing him off, she hugged Shino's arm like a lifeline, like a teddy bear, and fell asleep, dream melting from the heat.


	2. Something to Lose

_I do not own Naruto.

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Title: **everything to lose**  
Challenge: **something to prove**  
Character: **Kin Tsuchi**  
Words: **119**  
Bonuses: **tea, closing doors, someone ill**

Kin sipped the tea, careful. Don't spill, keep a smile on your painted lips, sit straight, keep your brow smooth. It was part of being a lady, part of making enough to keep Mother alive.

Kin threw down the tea, and it stained the carpet. She smudged the makeup and glared. It was part of being the only survivor, part of keeping herself alive now that she was alone.

So she left and never came back, closing the door on the room that held her mother's corpse. It was part of proving to herself that as a lady she had everything to lose, but as a kunoichi she had nothing, and no one could take that away from her.


	3. Looking

_I do not own Naruto. _

I usually don't write drabble KakaObiRin, but... I was feeling drabbly. warning: **character death**, **spoilers for Kakashi Gaiden.** Only implied KakaObiRin, just because it's me writing it.

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Title: **Looking**  
Pairing: **vague** **KakaObiRin**  
Words: **179**

She stood in the rain, thin rivulets of cold water running down her cheeks. So cold, but she barely felt it. Rin couldn't look directly at the moon without the raindrop falling right into her eyes, so she closed them, a simple defense against the rain.

Too bad she couldn't find such a simple defense against the world.

He walked in the rain, his shoes making loud squishing noises in the mud, the water leaking through his socks. So cold, but he barely felt it. Kakashi slouched for what seemed like the first time in his life, a sign that he didn't want any human contact.

Too bad he didn't expect anyone to leave him alone.

He lay in the rain, his body still and empty; the dirty water dripping from the trees onto his ruined features. So cold, but he didn't feel it. Obito was only a corpse, half decomposed in an abandoned forest.

Too bad he hadn't managed to make it to his twentieth birthday.

Sometimes you just can't help but look for things you'll never find.


	4. Last Chance Wasted

_I do not own Naruto._

AU. Ino and Choji are sent with a second team to go after Sasuke again, and Shikamaru stays behind.

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**Title**: Last Chance Wasted  
**Challenge**: Last Chance  
**Words**: 121  
**Pairing/Character**: ShikaInoCho, Sasuke  
**Bonus**: yawn

Shikamaru wanted to yawn, anything to disrupt the silence that had fallen over the three of them, not enough like the slow, thoughtful silence he was used to inducing.

Sasuke. The mere name made a queer sensation bubble in Shikamaru's gut, something akin to hate. He'd nearly gotten them killed the last time, and now the village was going to go after him again? All for Naruto's mad sense of loyalty.

Shikamaru knew that this time he'd find himself waiting to become that last of Team Ten.

The dark-haired man knew he should say something, knew he should either stop them or say his farewells, but he couldn't. Instead, he turned away, refusing to even watch them walk out the door.


	5. Steak no Jutsu

_I do not own Naruto._

Here's something vaguely amusing and it indulges ShikInoCho love, or at least a little.

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**Title**: Steak no Jutsu  
**Challenge**: Boxes  
**Words**: 129  
**Characters**: Ino, Choji, Shikamaru  
**Bonuses**: Ino, food

Ino took a large bite of the steak, and grinned up heftily at Choji, he was practically wringing his hands from across the table. "It tastes _great_!" she cried. Or, so would have cried if she hadn't had a good chunk of half-chewed steak in her mouth. Instead it sounded more like "Eh ah egh!"

Shika shook his head and went back to actually using those nifty things like knives and forks. Still, when he was done, he, too grinned up at Choji. "Wow. I didn't know you were that great a cook, Choji."

Choji chuckled nervously and excused himself from the table. He stepped into the kitchen and threw a small box out the window. An innocent bystander below wondered why it was raining Steak no Jutsu boxes.


	6. Nothing Alike

_I do not own Naruto._

Not really angst, just introspective. Yeah, I've heard that no one can see Udon glaring but me, but COME ON. Everyone _else_ grew up after the time jump, and we barely knew Udon to begin with! And plus, it's actually a hundred words. **warning: **threesome.

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**Title**: Nothing Alike  
**Words**: 100  
**Challenge**: History Repeats Itself  
**Characters/Parings**: Kakashi, Kono/Moegi/Udon, Naruto/Sasuke/Sakura.  
**Bonuses**: none

Kakashi looked down at them from his perch, peaking past the pages full of interesting positions and huge penises. He could barely make out the forms below, but he knew who they were anyway.

Konohamaru. Moegi. Udon. On the outside, they were nothing like his first team, nothing like that loud blond, nothing like the vindictive survivor, nothing like the little-girl-gone-woman. Nothing like the legends they'd become.

Still, when they thought he wasn't paying attention, Moegi would kiss the boys like Sakura had, and Udon would glare like Sasuke had, and Konohamaru would outrun them all, just like Naruto had.


	7. Roses, Nettles and Weeds

_I do not own Naruto._

More threesome love! I actually haven't written KakaObiRin in a long time, but I WILL RETURN. Eventually..._

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**Title**: Roses, Nettles and Weeds  
**Challenge**: Behind Another's Eyes  
**Pairing/Characters**: Kakashi/Rin/Obito, Yondie  
**Words**: 201  
**Notes**: This drabble is like one giant metaphor, watch out.

The gentle whispers into her feminine ears, so out of place in this place of men; rough kisses on those chapped lips hidden under secretive blue; silent cuddling to help augment pride that was only half there. The Yellow Flash of Konoha wasn't blind, no matter how devious his three students thought they were being.

He let them grow, entwining together, the tough rose, the angry nettles, and the stubborn weed. He was as needed as the sun was to life itself.

He was there when the stubborn weed sacrificed itself, and wilted into the dirt and grime, the nutrients from its being feeding the rose and the nettles.

He was there to see the rose picked and carried off for bigger things, different things, unknown things. Fate was a funny thing, leading one to be stuck in a vase or tucked behind an ear.

He wasn't there to see the nettle be reborn into moss. It didn't need to be; by this time it could grow without him, without roses or weeds in anything but memory. Even so, while pretty flowers lead little girls off the path to their grandmothers, moss leads you straight, even after the sun is gone.


	8. Not Enough

_I do not own Naruto._

Kinda angsty. Sakura's point of view. _

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**Title**: Not Enough  
**Words**: 121  
**Challenge**: Behind Another's Eyes  
**Bonuses**: the sound of metal on metal, a sprained ankle, dresses, and hangovers  
**Pairing**: NaruSasuSaku

CLINK. Kunai pressed against kunai as pink watches.

It's always been them, hasn't it? Friends, rivals, lovers. It's not about her; it's not about her part in it or her inclusion. In every move they make, in every situation they're in, the red is always pressed against the blue.

She's there binding their ankles, the first to pull the dress over her head at night, the one to stay and take care of their hangovers after those drinking binges. Even so, when it's time, there they are, completely submerged in one another. They love her, yes, that much is obvious. She can feel it in their voices, in their touches, in their worried glances, but . . .

She's never enough.


	9. Untitled

_I do not own Naruto._

**Hmm. This hits things is rather useful...I KNOW YOU'RE READING THIS. Review, damn it. XP**

**Now this is a definite crack pairing. I rarely write about Itachi and never about Shisui, so here's a bit of non-Sasuke Uchiha love. And Uchihacest without the Sasuke X3 (not a fan of ItaSasu). Enjoy.**

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**Title**: Untitled  
**Words**: 172  
**Pairing**: Uchiha Itachi/Uchiha Shisui  
**Challenge**: Resurrection  
**Bonuses**: betrayal, respect  
**Note**: This kind of fits the challenge...I just couldn't make Shisui alive...like poof. So he's semi-alive? Even if it doesn't fit the challenge, it's a drabble, so it BELONGS. And to add to that it's just odd...

Uchiha Shisui stared at him, his eyes sad and touched, but he kept his distance.

Uchiha Itachi was known for his cold, stoic expressions, and the heart he had crafted out of stone. He hoped the other man wouldn't come any closer.

Then again, this was Shisui. Not only had Itachi killed him, but he had been his best friend. In the young boy's head, Shisui had been his idol, his confedante, his puppy love crush, then eventually the corpse lying before him. Itachi didn't want to hope...

He didn't even ponder the _why_ or the _how_, but rather the does he hate me? "You're dead," Itachi intoned, trying to make his voice as steady as possible.

Shisui nodded slowly, and step, step, stepped closer to the shaking murderer. Taking Itachi's hand in his cold, dead fingers, he smiled. "So are you."

Itachi allowed him to pull him away from the blood and red and power that had made up his life, and the two of them just walked towards the light.


	10. Jobs

_I do not own Naruto_.

And here began my vague love for the Kono Corps. XD I've RP'd it more than I've actually _written_ it, but it counts. X3

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**Title**: Jobs  
**Challenge**: In the real world  
**Bonuses**: string instruments & autopsies  
**Characters**: Moegi, Konohamaru, Udon  
**Note:** AU.

"I'm not a _whore_, okay?" she answers defensively, shooting Udon and Konohamaru dirty looks. "It's dancing."

Udon looks away nervous as Konohamaru snorts doubtingly. "Yeah, with only some panties on. Lemme tell ya, they're all looking at how well you dance."

"Well, 'Maru, who gets paid the best outta us three? You, with your struggling-through-art-school-part-time-jobs-slash-guitar-playing-in-a-band? You, Udon, with that horrible job at that restaurant? Nuh-uh. Me, that's who," Moegi answers smugly, crossing her thin arms over her chest, sure that she's won.

The two men sigh, and exchange looks. "We're just afraid some doctor's going to end up running an autopsy to see how you've been murdered, Moegi."

She rolls her eyes at the pair and stands up, pushing her chair when she's done. "I can take of myself," she replies icily, and walks away.


	11. Traumatizing

_I do not own Naruto._

HAHA. I remember this one. Ah, my old OTP.

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Title: T**raumatizing**  
Challenge: **in the real world  
**Words: **119**  
Pairing: S**hikamaru/temari**  
Bonuses: **Sasori of the Red Sand, string instruments, exorcisms, and autopsies**

He lets out a long, drawn out sigh as he pulls the covers over his head. "I have to teach them about exorcisms tomorrow. How troublesome. If they're scarred for life it's not my fault."

She chuckles, and begins pulling out her hair-ties, blonde hair being pulled in clumps along with them. "That's why I work at a bookstore."

Shikamaru gives her a look. "Temari, you have an out-of-tune harp in your backroom _that you stole_, and you like to scare the younger kids by describing the autopsies your Uncle Sasori's performed. You're far more likely to scar people than I am."

After letting out an amused laugh, she kisses him good night. "My point exactly."


	12. Good and Bad Girls

_I do not own Naruto._

One of my personal favorites. Kin got zero backstory and since I played her in a few roleplays, I played around with her character tons.

My first update in ages, sorry guys. loses

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**Title**: Good and Bad Girls  
**Words**: 144  
**Characters**: Kin Tsuchi, Kin Kagami (OC)  
**Challenge**: give me a past  
**Bonuses**: Bad Guys, Chinese Food (vaguely), Children, Motivations, and Tissues

She licks the grease off her fingers with her greasy tongue, and her twin shoots her an ugly look. Kagami picks up a clean tissue and passes it over to Kin, making sure their hands don't actually make contact.

Kagami is the good girl, the clean girl, the polite girl. She's the village's number one rookie, but she's modest about it. Everyone even calls the perfect Kin by her first name. When they ask her what she wants to grow up to be, she answers _Whatever motivates me the most_.

Kin is the bad girl, the wipes-her-hands-on-her-shirt girl, the punch-first-ask-questions-later girl. Grades aren't important, she says, and goes out to play with the bad boys. No one knows her well enough to call her Tsuchi. When they ask her what she wants to grow up to be, she answers _One of the bad guys_.


	13. Allergic to Love

_I do not own Naruto._

I think this was my first drabble. XD It's incredibly corny. AHAHA. So bad.

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**Title**: Allergic to Love  
**Words**: 272  
**Characters**: Zetsu, TenTen, Sakura and Hinata  
**Challenge**: Zetsu  
**Bonuses**: allergies, advice, Sakura, Hinata, TenTen, relationships, motherly instincts

Zetsu lounges about on the log, wondering if they're in the mood to eat the approaching kunoichi. They are awfully _loud_, those three, but they probably consider themselves good, strong Leaf girls. Zetsu realizes that instead of just _eating_ the girls, they can give the girls a good bit of advice and _then_ eat them.

Crawling up the side of a tree, they wait until the three girls are directly under them, and then they open their mouth to let out a yell—

BAM! A kunai flies past his head, but that's not what made the BAM. The source of _that_ sound was Zetsu's head hitting the tree when he dodges the kunai.

He clutches his head, and drops languidly from the tree. Ow. Mommy.

Immediately one of the girls is kneeling next to them. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were . . . Are you okay?" Zetsu opens their mouth to respond when they notice several odd-colored bumps on their hands.

Oh no. Backing away as quickly as they can, he tries to yell at the brown-haired girl to get away, but suddenly their tongue has swollen up. Zetsu then stumbles away as quickly as they can move their limbs, soon disappearing in the foliage.

Sakura, Hinata and TenTen stare after him, confused and little relieved. TenTen looks at the other two. "Do you think it's something I said?"

Hinata sniffs TenTen, and shakes her head. "Maybe it was your perfume. You did lay it on kind of strong."

Sakura clutches her hands together and puts on an expression of immense empathy and pity. "Poor boy. He's allergic to Love."


	14. Gossip

_I do not own Naruto._

Another very early one. These are actually urban legends. UGH.

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**Title**: Gossip  
**Challenge**: Urban Legends  
**Words**: 473  
**Characters**: Three random genin, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Gai  
**Bonuses**: The Sannins, lack of curse words, glasses, and Maito Gai.

"He's a snake, plain 'n simple."

"Nope, he's a rat. A treacherous _rat_."

"Naw, I know what he is. He's a devil. I heard that his mother wished that if she ever did have another child, that she wanted it to be nothing less than a devil. Then _he_ was born, and though he generally looked human, inside he was broken and _wrong_, and those eyes of his showed every bit of this. I heard even his own _mother_ stood at her door and told him to never come back."

Laughs.

"Actually, I hear sompthin' like that, too. When he was born, he had horns, bat wings, a horse's head and forked tail, even! Someone pulled a forbidden jutsu out of their butts and changed him to look like normal though, else everyone wouldav known how evil he was at one glance."

"That'd be one time I'd be glad to have glasses. I could take them off whenever he's near."

More laughs.

"And what of those other two?"

"Shh, you can't talk about _them_. Theys normal enough, and one's the Hokage! You shut your trap about them or someone'll be callin' all of us turncoats."

"Well, you know what I hear about that perverted one? That he was supposed ta get married with some lady, and at the reception thems all got drunk off their—well, you know what—and were playin' hide and seek. Then when he couldn't find his wife, he gave up 'n decided that she got cold feet. Theys all left and he went on like before. Then, when some lady was cleaning the house they'd had their thing in, so found his soon-to-be wife's decomposing corpse in some –"

"I heard that one! She was ina trunk, right? She locked 'erself in!"

"Now that's just disgusting. The two of you need better things to do, really."

"Okay, okay, jus' one more. I heard that dear ol' Hokage was sunbathing one time in the sun—"

"Ya idiot, a'course in the _sun_!"

"You know what, I'm going home--give me my glasses back, you twit! Fine, fine, I'm sitting back down. Brat."

"Shut up! So she felt some bug on 'er cheek, 'n slapped it away. Then, she found she had a huge blister or pimple on 'er cheek, and it was all red 'n disgustin'. One way or 'nother, she hit it, maybe when she was washin' her face, or sompthin' and it **popped** open! 'N a buncha little _spiders_ came crawlin' out! When she was in the sun 'er pores gots so big, that some spider laid eggs in 'em!"

Gagging noises.

"That's _**dis**gusting_!"

"Yeah! Thas really gross."

"Hello, dear students! Is it storytime? Can I join in on the fun?"

Stifled chuckles.

"Hello, Gai-sensei. Could you stand up? I think you sat on my glasses."


	15. Dead

_I do not own Naruto._

So much for updating regularly. Sorry, I haven't been frequenting LJ at all lately. I have been writing, just oneshots & snuff. I'll spam update to make up for it

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**title**: Dead  
**warning**: angst, character death, threesome innuendos  
**characters**: Shikamaru, Choji, Ino (implied ship)  
**words**: 175

Shikamaru lets his fingers slide over that soft skin once more, but this time it's completely different. Cold matches his heat, and he doesn't like it, pulling away.

Choji doesn't even touch, too afraid to. He only clings to happy things like good memories and loved ones. Not dead things like forgotten love and insults and corpses.

They should be walking past now, the people behind them in the line tittering, confused as to why the movement has stopped. Neither of the two teammates wanted to move, though, not for anything in the world. They aren't content with staring at the empty cadaver of their beloved blonde, but it was better than turning their backs on her.

They knew it would end like this, the way she went on. Mission, mission, one after another. Even so, the shock of those sharp blue eyes closed, and never to open on their own again makes chills run up their spines.

Outwardly, they pay their respects and move on, but inside, they're begging Ino to open her eyes.


	16. Inside the Box

_I do not own Naruto._

Yeah. Sort of an odd choice for Hokage, but I am all about the womyn power. AHAHA. coff.

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**Title**: Inside the Box  
**Challenge**: Sasuke's Return  
**Characters**: Hinata, Sakura, Naruto. Rookie Nine and Team Gai present.  
**Bonuses**: Rokudaime who's not Naruto, crowd, reactions, death.  
**Words**: 234

There was a small crowd of people pressed against the desk at the front of the room, and every single one of them turned their eyes to her as soon as she entered. Stultifying a blush and a nervous yelp, she firmly padded to her desk, and busied herself with getting out a few of the necessary papers as she sat down.

"Hi-_Rokudaime_-sama, you _said_ you had news on Sasuke-" Sakura began earnestly, leaning forward over the desk, her white hands gripping the sides tightly.

Hinata looked up sharply, her eyes silently conveying what her mouth wouldn't dare. She let Sakura infer what she liked from that one glance as she returned her attention to the paperwork crowding her desk. For a few minutes, the Rookie Seven and Team Gai stood there, not daring to make a sound.

She was afraid of their reactions, afraid that they'd let their composure slip despite years of training and just...the village needed them stable. These ten individuals were the backbone of Konoha. Still, Hinata ripped through the protective scroll around _the_ box with her nail, a noise too sudden in that silent room that.

Then she slid the closed box across the oak desk towards them, closed, but nonetheless portending. Naruto was the first to reach out, and he flipped open the heavy top with ease.

That eye, red from blood and bloodlines, stared up at them.


	17. Blind

_I do not own Naruto._

I love my Obito. I haven't written him a long while, but...soon. Hopefully.

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**Title**: Blind  
**Challenge**: Vision  
**Character**: Obito  
**Bonuses**: colors  
**Warnings**: slight gore?  
**Words**: 111

Obito couldn't help that his eyes were perpetually black, no matter how hard he strained. Not even the slightly tinge of red. His vision was fogged, and while his cousins went on with bleeding eyes, he remained in that darkness, blind.

But he didn't know true darkness, the reality of living without sight until he felt the puncture of Rin's medical knife, until nerves were severed and the world went completely black. Until he felt himself missing those glimpses of grey and brown and yellow, even his own black.

And then the rocks fell, tumbled down down to on their inevitable collision course, and Obito lost even his memories of sight.


	18. Bite

_ I do not own Naruto_.

written for li (miquetoast).

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**Title**: Bite  
**Characters**: Tayuya/Kiba  
**Warning**: ...none that I can think of. Innuendo, I suppose.  
**Words:** 100

Tayuya held the shirt out, glaring at him. Oh, if looks could kill...

"Bitch boy, your _dogs_ got all over my _black_ shirt." She was expecting compensation. And snappy.

Kiba stared back at her, amused and willing to comply. Well, as long as they were thinking along the same lines when it came to _compensation_.

They clicked, and neither of them needed an explanation for it. No opposites attract, none of the vicious circle business. It was easy, simply, like the two of them. It so happened both of them preferred lovers that would bite harder than they would bark.


	19. Codependant

_I do not own Naruto._

written for laur (perfections-cat).

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**Title**: Codependant  
**Characters:** SasuKabu, Orochimaru  
**Warnings: **erm. spoilers for post timeskip.  
**Words: **154

Flick. His fingers smoothly went through the motions as he felt the boy's eyes on him. The needle was cool again his palm, sterile. Under control. Under his thumb.

"It'll only hurt for a second," Kabuto warned, his free hand reaching out to pull the boy's arm towards him. The eyes were still watching, and he struggled with the chuckles that were _this close_ to escaping.

Sasuke, despite all appearances, was painfully codependent. Itachi, Kakashi, and now Orochimaru, there was always someone to cling to. But Orochimaru wasn't always around, and more often than not, he was off doing his own business and Kabuto was left caring for the domestic matters, which included reining in Sasuke.

Kabuto spotted a vein and pressed the needle in harder than necessary, knowing that Sasuke wanted it to hurt. Maybe on his next check up, he would give the Uchiha some satisfaction, but not today.

"Good night, Sasuke."


	20. Untitled 02

**Title**: Untitled  
**Challenge**: SasuHina  
**Pairing**: SasuHina  
**Note**: Part of a challenge where I opened the floor to anything. Most were Naruto-based

**Summary: **Sasuke made his Dark Brooding Face and Hinata blushed, then a rock fell and keel'd that pairing.**  
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Sasuke just dug in, slowly picking at his meal piece by piece. Hinata bit at her lower lip as she tried not to watch him. Too nervous to swallow, she moved her rice around until her plate was mess and looked partially eaten.

She knew Neji knew that she was nervous, and that the flush on her face wasn't from the winter chill coming in through the window. She knew that Sasuke knew that she was afraid, but probably not in the way that she should be. She knew that Sasuke knew that Neji knew...well, nothing.

Neji, with his white eyes watched the surface and was worried for his cousin, that delicate flower.

But that tension across the table was underneath the surface, all glacier-metaphor. Afraid? Afraid that this time he'd make true on his threats, maybe. Afraid that this time, as he murmured not-sweet-nothings (poisoned nothings, empty threats, maybe) against the goosebumps underneath her breasts, he'd really leave.

He'd done it once, and he'd come back shaking with power, but still lacking in something.

Maybe he was looking for it in Hinata, but they both knew that was a wild goose chase. And one day, he would be gone again, and how can a tip of a glacier hold itself up without that hidden, underwater ice?


	21. Why Are You Here?

Ha! Someone hasn't updated in ages. Yep, that's me. I've sort of been inching away from fandom, recently, not gonna lie, so expect minimal updates. 3

**Title**: Why Are You Here?  
**Challenge**: Indecision.  
**Pairing**: Ino and Shikamaru from rebirth [an rpg.  
**Note**: Part of a challenge where I opened the floor to anything. Most were Naruto-based.

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He was lying on his back on his porch, books laid down on his chest and his eyes closed.

It was thoroughly pleasant, definitely--

What was that _smell_?

One eyes popped open and catch a glimpse of a blonde head over where his (his aunt's, whatever) rocking chair was. Sitting up quickly (too quickly, and for a second everything was white) he spotted Ino rocking back and forth slightly, bottle in one hand and the other brushing her nails with blue nailpolish.

"That shit reeks."

"Your bathroom smells worse."

Grunting, he really couldn't come up with a retort that wasn't a lie.

"What are you doing here?"

She slipped her foot off the seat of the chair and stretched her leg out straight, looking at her toes critically, wriggling them gingerly. Pleased, she curled the leg back and went to work on the other foot. Shikamaru was wondering whether or not she was going to answer at all when she smiled slowly.

"I'm going on a date tonight."

In their teen years her voice would have be proud, she would have straightened her back and nearly beamed. Now she said it matter-of-factly, almost indecisively.

Shikamaru looked down to see what page he was on (345) and memorized it. "Anyone I know?"

"Probably not. He's just a chuunin. It was kinda cute, how we met, though. In line at the grocery. He was nice."

He cracked his neck. "So why are you here?" he repeated.

Her glance was few of questions: _do i deserve him does he deserve me can i really stand it if it turns out to be another one night stand is he for real this time..._ Then she looked back down at her feet, which were finished. Sakura might have painted them better, but she was here, not at Sakura's...

"Go, then." he told her. "Have fun." Standing up, he left the book on the floor.

_No way to find out if you don't try._

"Now I'm going to go clean the bathroom." 


	22. Come Together

**Title: **Come Together  
**Prompt: **the forbidden  
**Characters/Pairing: **NejiHina**

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**

What they wanted more than anything was for the world to understand. To realy grasp all that was underneath the surface, find the bulk of the iceberg of the subject.

Hinata wanted to be able to sit on the couch and knit him a scarf. Something light, to constrast his hair but match his eyes. Something that he could wear into the village without shame even if the holes were gaping.

But cousins don't take that much time to make each other a scarf, and certainly didn't wear terrible scarves with so much pride.

Neji wanted to be able to pull her out of the restaurant, into the alley, and kiss her right on the lips in front of anyone or no one, because it wouldn't matter. He wanted to put his hand on her waist in public and have everyone realize that she was his, and that no one could touch _his_ precious.

But they couldn't.

Impossible.

Like an apple on a tree, so easily plucked, but once bit into...

Oh, one can not turn back time. But you can bite your lip and tighten your hands into fists so that you won't grab. So that you won't find yourself doing something you regret.

Something like hands on skin and lips on flushed flesh, and wet sounds like...

_come together, right now, over me._


	23. Prince of Denmark 1

Because I ultimately feel guilty for never updating here.

This is inspired by crossover crack. A series of drabbles entitled **The Tragedy of Neji, Prince of Denmark**.

I think you'll all figure out who everyone is. (To start with, Gai Polonius. :3) And it'll probably help to watch Tale of L33t's version of Hamlet. XD

inspired by laur&jamie crack.

* * *

Neji turned the corner and smacked into Gai.

He normally heard Gai's boisterous voice before he could actually spot the man, and that point would turn the other away to avoid precisely the exchange which was occurring this very moment. Unfortunately, a mind deep in thought often forgets about the outside world and these things do happen. And so Neji crashed into a wall of green robe and heavily muscled flesh.

"HELLO NEJI. HOW ARE YOU?"

He blinked up at the man slowly, his brow furrowing and his rage dissipating. He had been contemplating the best manner in which to dismember a member of the family.

"Room temperature."

Gai's smile was too bright for this particular morning and the young man felt like covering his eyes. It was too early for this. He needed tea.

"ARE YOU GOING TO BE REMAINING HERE FOR A WHILE LONGER, OR WILL WE BE SHEDDING TEARS OF JOY AND MISERY AT YOUR FAREWELL PARTY?"

No one would be shedding tears except for Gai, Neji was sure, but he knew better than the correct the large green specimen. He'd get it into his brain that Neji felt he was unloved and then there would be a huge debacle as Gai attempted to prove Neji wrong.

(Hinata might shed tears, but as they fell so often, their significance and meaning were almost completely done away with.)

And here was Gai, waiting patiently for his response. No pointed look would be obvious enough for Gai, so Neji sighed and pushed a strand of hair into his cloak. "There will be no party."

The sun was about perpendicular with the window they stood next to, and without quite meaning to, both of them glanced toward the light. They squinted and looked away, the strength of the sun's rays too much for them. Despite their appearances and egos, they were both human, and their eyes were delicate.

"SEVEN YEARS."

Neji knew exactly what Gai was referring to. "Yes. Today."

"HE WAS A WONDERFUL MAN, YOU KNOW. A STRONG PILLAR OF MARBLE AMONGST THE MORE SANDY REPLICATES. YES, YES, HE WAS TRULY A LOSS TO THIS COMMUNITY. THE NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH WILL NEVER BE QUITE THE SAME WITHOUT HIS STEADY ATTENDANCE. HE LIKED TO MAKE PAPER AIRPLANES, IF I AM RECALLING CORRECTLY. HE AND YOUR UNCLE WERE EXPERTS AT THE EXERCISE. THEY WERE MOST DEFINITELY MASTERS.

"DO YOU SHARE THEIR EXPERTISE? YOU DO SEEM TO HAVE NIMBLE FINGERS AND LONG NAILS ARE CERTAINLY GOOD FOR SUPERIOR FOLDING TECHNIQUES."

The moment was gone, and the sun had risen just that little bit more. Neji straightened his black cloak and pulled up his hood, feeling safer now that his forehead and eyes were covered in shadow. As if he wasn't Neji any longer, now freed by the inability to be named or labeled.

"No, I do not." If the neighborhood watch were the only people who treasured his father, was there a point to his charade of mourning? No one else was playing. "I should be--"

Gai reached out and grasped Neji's shoulder with a hand that was too big for his body. His eyes were soft with empathy and the promise of tears. Pathetic. "WE ALL MISS HIM."

But not enough to avenge him.

Neji nodded and pulled away. Gai let him, and watched him walk down the hall toward Hinata's room.


End file.
